Eli Yamin
Eli Yamin
Piano
Pianist Eli Yamin was born in 1968 on Long Island and grew up in a household of music enthusiasts. He received his BA at Rutgers and his Master’s in Music Education at Lehman College. He has since performed world-wide and lectured and led hundreds of workshops on all levels from pre-K through graduate school.
Eli’s enthusiasm for music, creativity and community through song permeates his work. In the early 1990’s, he was musical director with Mercedes Ellington for the 10th Anniversary tour of Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies. In the late 90’s he toured internationally with Illinois Jacquet and his big band. In 2004, he launched the Eli Yamin Orchestra specializing in the early music of Count Basie and played the JVC Jazz Festival in New York City.
Eli has co-written with Clifford Carlson five jazz musicals for children. They also run The Jazz Drama Program using jazz to tell stories relevant to children’s lives. As a result of the program’s success, he was asked by Jazz at Lincoln Center to direct the first Middle School Jazz Academy there. Through this program students receive ongoing instrumental music instruction at Rose Hall.
In addition to jazz musicals, Yamin’s compositions include chamber works as well as scores for dance, radio and film. Just at home behind a microphone as he is behind the piano, Yamin has produced and hosted jazz and blues programs for WBGO, Sirius Satellite Radio and National Public Radio. He joins Litchfield Jazz Camp as a teaching artist in 2009.
Read Eli's blog post about his first experience teaching at Litchfield Jazz Camp.
